Charmed
by Malkharah
Summary: A month after the incident with Kyo's inner demon, he and Tohru are growing very close, which leaves Yuki alone... at least until Tohru's cousin, Kikyo, comes along with the ability to make charms that surpress the Sohma's transformations...
1. Sohma House

Disclaimer:  Ya'll see that thing at the top of your screen?  That's called an address bar.  What does the address say?  Something about fanfiction.net, right?  That means this here story is a '**Fan** Fic', which means it wasn't written by anyone official or even remotely related to the Fruits Basket production team.  In other words, I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen.  I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters *cough*YUKI*cough* and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me.  So don't sue me.  I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.

Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done!  Arigato!

Chapter One: Sohma House, or Akito's 'Evil Lair of DOOOOOOM'!

Sohma House was an unusually quiet place this morning.

The expansive grounds were peaceful; trees swaying quietly in a warm gentle wind adding a sighing counter point to the soft babble of a koi pond set the mood for tranquility.  It was therefore a somewhat odd sensation to feel the tensions that seeped through the air.

Hatori sighed lightly as he put away his blood pressure cuff.  Akito was reclining on a mountain of plush cushions with a thick blanket pulled up over his chest.  The boy's condition was deteriorating slowly but surely.  He looked sicklier than usual, wan and drowsy, barely summoning the energy to lift his arm that his pet finch might maintain its perch.

Hatori hated to admit it, even to himself, but…  "I'm sorry Akito, there's nothing further I can do for you."

Akito's eyes drifted away from the preening white bird and fastened with Hatori's.  "Can or will?" He drawled threateningly.

Hatori sighed again.  "I'm afraid that my studies of Western style medicine only hold so much use.  Your sickness isn't in your body, or even your mind; either of those I should be able to help you with.  Akito, something is eating your soul from the inside out."

Akito was silent for a moment, dark blue/black eyes glittering ominously.  He let his hand fall to his chest and the finch took wing back to its cage; the bird had been well trained by Kureno and would not attempt to escape, despite the wide open door.  "Then what do you recommend?"

Relieved, Hatori said, "I recommend a more traditional treatment.  The shrine in town has recently acquired and exceptionally talented miko.  She appears to truly have miko powers."

"You would have a sorceress come heal me?" Akito whispered.  "You know the gifts of sorceresses always have a hook attached."

"Be that as it may, it is the only thing I can see working at this point." Hatori zipped his medical bag and corrected his posture.  "If you do not find someone who is able to do something for you, you will die.  Soon."

Akito shifted slightly, pulling his blankets up higher on his chest and sitting up a bit more.  When he spoke, his voice was barely above inaudible.  "How soon?"

"A month at most."  Hatori said.

Akito considered Hatori for several more moments, and then turned his head to look out the door at the koi pond.  The brightly colored carp were feeding on the seeds dropped by a willow tree, touching the surface in rings of ripples then vanishing into the weeds.  "Tell me her name."

"Kikyo Honda."  

"Honda?" Akito mused.

"A coincidence, I'm sure." Hatori assured softly.

"You're sure?" Akito hissed.  His body tensed as he tried to rise, but he was far too weak and merely wound up shifting slightly, his dark grey and blue yukata sliding off one shoulder to expose blindingly white skin.  He breathed hard for a moment.  "Some things continue to haunt me.  Very well, you will summon her.  I will see her tomorrow."

"As you wish, Akito." Hatori bowed deeply, pressing his forehead and fists to the tatami mat before rising, picking up his medical bag and backing out the door.  He slid it closed behind him and smiled slightly at Momiji, who popped his head out from an adjacent hall.

"Hey, Ha'ri." Momiji whispered.  "How's Akito?"

"Not well, I'm afraid." Hatori responded in kind.  He joined Momiji and ushered him down the hall away from Akito's apartments.  Outside they sat down on the edge of the porch, and Hatori lit a cigarette.

"What's wrong with Akito?" Momiji asked quietly.  The boy's liquid brown eyes seemed downcast, his shining golden hair hung softly against his face.

"I'm not sure, Momiji." Hatori said.  They sat quietly for a few moments.  "I know of someone who might, though."

Momiji's eyes lit up.  "Really?  Oh, Ha'ri, would they help him?"

Hatori smiled again.  "Get me the cordless and we'll find out."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kikyo Honda sat at the dining room table in her uncle's house on the grounds of the Hondachi Shrine, sipping tea and listening to her grandfather's request.  He'd gotten a call yesterday from someone apparently very important requesting her services.

"Sohma House?"  Kikyo said.  "Where do I know that name from?"

"The Sohmas are a large and respectful family." He grandfather told her.  His yukata seemed too large for him, swamping him in dark scarlet and blues, patterned with beige lilies.  It hung off him and made him look frail, though Kikyo knew anyone who thought her grandfather frail had another thing coming.  "They have influence and power dating back to the Feudal Era and before.  We are well honored by your being asked to serve them.  You must do your best."

"I will, Grampa." Kikyo assured him.  She checked her watch and her eyes widened.  Swilling the last of her tea she rose and carefully adjusted the folds of her Hakama.  The traditional shrine maiden costume was exceedingly comfortable and flattering in an odd way.  It made her look and feel far more mature than her seventeen years.  The Hippari jacket was white, it had long sleeves that covered her hands when they hung by her sides and open slits at the shoulders to show her scarlet undercoat.  The back of the Hippari was decorated with a bold black Gi that said 'Hondachi'.  The Hakama pants were a deep burgundy and so voluminous one leg could almost serve as a skirt.  

"Gotta run, Grampa.  Thanks for the tea."  Kikyo smiled as she trotted past into the kitchen and set her cup in the sink, noting to herself to wash it and anything else later.  She came back through the dining room to go into the entryway and slip on her geta, but her grandfather stopped her.

"This is the address and instructions on how to get there." Her grandfather said passing her a slip of paper drawn from one sleeve of his robe.  "Do me proud today, Kikyo."

"I will, Grampa." Kikyo laughed.  "Hand me my scrip, please."  Her grandfather grabbed the red embroidered black bag from the corner and passed it to her.  She slipped it over one shoulder and balanced its weight in the small of her back.  She opened the door and stepped out with her grandfather following.  "I don't know how long this will take me.  I'll call if I can't be back for dinner."

"Bai, bai, Kikyo.  Be safe."  Her grandfather called as she set off down the steps that led away from the shrine.

Smiling, Kikyo glanced at her grandfather's nearly illegible handwriting and set off for Sohma House.

Sohma House was an enormous sprawling estate slightly outside of town, cut off from the prying eyes of the public by a ten foot wall of stucco and exposed wood.  'Wow, Kikyo thought, 'they must be really wealthy if they can afford to keep and maintain all this land.  The architecture is beautiful.'

She made her way up the stairs to the main gate and buzzed the intercom.  After a few moments a young woman's voice spoke.  "Yes, how may I help you?"

"My name is Kikyo Honda; I'm the miko from the Hondachi Shrine.  I've been asked to attend one Akito Sohma."

"Oh, yes, please wait there and someone will be there to escort you inside momentarily."

"Thank you." Kikyo said.  She quickly readjusted her Hakama once more and put a hand to her hair, making sure it was in place.  She made sure a wise and serene expression was in place; people were always underestimating her because she was so young, and she'd found that a smooth, confident face made them reconsider.  After a few minutes, the right-hand gate swung inward.

A brilliant blonde poked her head out and looked at her with liquid chocolate eyes, and a smile spread on her lips.  Her clothes were very cute.  She had on a long pink blouse and khaki shorts, with white knee socks and brown penny-loafers.  She came out the rest of the way and bowed politely to Kikyo.  "You're Kikyo Honda, right?  I'm Momiji Sohma!"  Her voice was very sweet and youthful.

"Yes, I'm Kikyo.  It's nice to meet you, Momiji." Kikyo took the girl's cue and bowed.  'What a cute little girl!' She thought.

"Come on inside!" Momiji exclaimed, grasping one of Kikyo's hands and dragging her into the compound.  "I'll introduce you to Ha'ri!  That's Hatori Sohma, he's the family doctor!"

"Okay!" Kikyo laughed, caught up in the little girl's adorable enthusiasm.  The grounds were absolutely beautiful; flowering trees stood everywhere, broken by lawns of carefully tended grass and beds of flowers.  There was a carefully raked rock garden and brook that curved around the side of the main house.  Kikyo could see roads and walking paths that curved back into the woods inside the grounds, and thought that the estate must be far larger than she had first thought.  'Wow, Gramps wasn't kidding!  The Sohmas really must be very wealthy and powerful.  I'll do my best!' She told herself silently.

They stepped into the main house after removing their shoes and walked down a long hall, to a door which Momiji opened.  "Hatori, this is Kikyo Honda.  Honda-san, this is Hatori Sohma."

Kikyo stepped inside and knelt down, bowing respectfully in the process.  "I am very pleased to meet you, Hatori-san."

"Indeed the pleasure is all mine." Said Hatori in a near monotone.  Kikyo looked at him carefully.  He was very handsome, despite the toss of black hair that covered his left eye.  His expression was rigidly bland, as though he personally would not permit any emotions to pass across it.  The exposed eye was very dark green, and pensive, as though something was bothering him

'Of course something's bothering him!' Kikyo thought.  'A family member is ill and he can't do anything to help him.  But I can.'

"You are younger than I expected." Hatori said after Momiji had excused herself.  "You can't be older than eighteen."

"I'm seventeen, Hatori-san." Kikyo informed him.  "I'll be eighteen in October."

"Well, I spoke with your grandfather yesterday.  He assured me you are very gifted despite your youth.  I will tell you our situation."  Hatori stood and slid back a door that led out onto a deck with a view of a small rock garden.  He lit a cigarette and sat cross-legged on the floor.  "Akito is the head of the Sohma clan.  He's twenty one years of age and has always had poor health.  He was a thin and sickly child and has become a thin and sickly adult.  I've been his doctor for five years, and his condition has gone steadily downhill.  It's reached a point where my training in Western medicine can do him no more good."

Kikyo listened attentively, making mental note of everything he said.  "Tell me, what are his living conditions like?  Does he get outside much?  Does he get exercise regularly?  What does he eat?  How is his temper?"

"He has been unable to exercise recently due to his deteriorating condition.  Prior to that he took walks around the compound each day." Hatori said.  "He prefers the dark, keeping the doors shut and curtains drawn, and often doesn't even bother to get dressed each day.  He has fits of dark rage, when he throws things and screams obscenities.  He eats very little, and prefers raw fruits, fish, and refined grains to anything else."

Kikyo frowned.  "Take me to see him."

Hatori took her further towards the back of the house, and the hallways got steadily darker and more oppressive feeling as they went.  Kikyo carefully analyzed all of the impulses she was getting and began her diagnosis.  The room where she was introduced to Akito Sohma was dark, lit only by a stand-lamp in one corner.  He lay in the far corner from the lamp, wallowing in the shadows for lack of a better term.  His nest of pillows and blankets was disheveled, as though he'd been twisting and turning restlessly.  The air of the room tasted stale, smelled of fear and hate, and felt unclean.

Kikyo bowed respectfully towards the dark corner where Akito lay.  "My name is Kikyo Honda, Sohma-san.  I am very pleased to meet you.  With your permission I will begin."

A soft, slightly menacing laugh wafted from the darkness.  "Very well, you may begin."

"Hatori-san, would you please bring some boiling water in a tea pot?"

Hatori bowed and left.

While he was gone, she strode around the room, opening windows and doors.  She heard Akito hiss softly as light flooded into his dark world, but ignored his reaction for the moment.  Hatori returned a few minutes later with the water she'd requested and knelt beside the door to observe, and Kikyo immediately put him out of her mind; when she got to work it was only her and her patient.  She was very professional about her job.  

Once all the windows and doors were open she turned to face her patient.

Akito Sohma was extremely good looking, to the point where he was almost pretty; he would have been more so if not for the dark miasma that rolled off his aura, the loathing of everything that was ingrained in his bones.  Kikyo felt her muscles tense for flight out of pure instinct.  Akito was very sick.

She came and knelt before him.  "Sit up, please."

Akito glared death at her as he shifted up onto his heals and straightened his yukata.

"Give me your dominant hand."

Akito held out his right hand for her.  She grasped it with care, firmly but gently, and turned it into the light so she could read his palm.  She frowned at what she saw.  "Look into my eyes."  Akito did so, and Kikyo felt goose flesh rise on the back of her neck.  His eyes were almost dead; there was nothing in them but hatred and contempt.

Shivering, she said, "Stand up and remove the top of your robe."

Akito smirked darkly as he slowly rose to his feet, sliding his painfully pale arms outside of his dark yukata.  His exposed chest was lily-white and far too thin, as though he would snap into pieces if hit.  Kikyo gave him an equally dark look, though hers had no smile of any kind, pushed up the sleeves of her hippari and lightly placed her fingers on his chest.  Thumbs almost together at the center of his sternum, fingers splayed wide across his pecks to cover as much area as possible, and she let her eyes drift closed.

She breathed deeply once, exhaling through her nose, and ventured forth.

After almost three minutes she began breathing again and pulled back, wiping her hands on her hakama.  His soul felt … wrong… dark, as though it were cancerous.  Something evil was growing on it, in it, eating it away.  She motioned him to sit down and pull his robe back onto his shoulders and for Hatori to join them by the door.  She fetched the pot of steaming water and placed it beside her, unslinging her scrip and beginning to rummage through it.  She pulled out several wax sealed clay jars, glass bottles, and paper packets.

"Sohma-san, I believe I know what is wrong with you."  Kikyo told him.  She cracked the seal on a tiny clay jar, looked inside, and emptied the contents into the teapot, then reached for a paper packet marked in kanji on one side.  "You are under a curse."

She heard Hatori gasp, but misinterpreted it, her eyes fixed on her task.  "Yes, it is surprising.  It's not a new curse.  It's been on your family for generations, if I'm not mistaken."  She refolded the paper packet and set it aside after dropping a pinch of dried lotus blossom into the water, then reached for a glass bottle containing powered sakura pits.  "It's odd though.  With every generation it's been getting worse, more concentrated, instead of dissipating through blood and years as I would expect.  Hatori-san, give me your hand."

Hatori extended his hand and Kikyo grasped it, turning it into the light to read, and then looked into his eyes.  She released his hand, saying, "You have some of it in you, too, though it's not affecting you in anything near the same way."  She took a small, powdery white rock out of another glass bottle and gave it to Akito.  "Hold that under your tongue until it dissolves."

Akito popped it into his mouth without argument, surprisingly.  Kikyo glanced at him sharply, reading the sudden respect in his eyes and knew that he'd known about this curse and she was right.  She was dead right, and he had nothing to say.  Smiling a tiny smile of personal pride, Kikyo dropped a chip of undried fruitwood into the teapot, clapped the lid on, stoppered up the spout, and shook it vigorously for several moments.  She set the teapot on the floor in front of her once more and let her hands hover over it as she concentrated.  

After a few moments, the teapot glowed briefly a pale blue color.  Hatori and Akito both gasped at that.

She then removed the stopper and lid letting fresh steam rush out with renewed vigor, fished out the fruitwood chip, discarding it into a piece of paper to be burned later, and poured tea out into the handleless cup.  It filled the room with an earthy, subtly sweet aroma.  She passed the cup to Akito.  "Drink that as hot and as quickly as you can stand to.  When it gets cold it won't be as potent."

Akito threw it back in one gulp.  

"This potion will be good for seven or eight days." Kikyo told him as she began to put her things away.  "Drink one cupful of it every day at dawn and dusk until it's gone, simply heat it as hot as you can stand to drink it and drink it quickly.  Make sure to get increasing amounts of exercise on each day, but start slow, and breathe plenty of fresh air.  No more of this 'windows closed all day' business."  She slung her scrip back over her shoulder and centered it in the middle of her back.  "I'm afraid this will not get rid of your curse.  It will only help to alleviate some of the symptoms.  It should improve your temper and energy levels, get you feeling a little more lively.  I will do some long-term research and see if I can't discover what exactly this curse is and whether it is within my power to remove it.  Please, call upon me again if you feel your condition deteriorates."

Hatori cleared his throat, preparing to speak, but Akito beat him to it.

"Thank you very much for your time and help today, Miko-sama." Akito said.  He pressed fists and forehead to the floor in a very respectful bow.

Kikyo was stunned.  This was the same man who had leered at her inappropriately when she told him to take off his robe, now he was calling her 'Lady Sorceress' and bowing low enough to fit the title!  'Wow!' She thought.  'I must have **really** impressed him!'

She bowed back to him and said, "Please, it was my honor."

"Is there anything we can offer you in return for your services?" Akito asked.  "Money?  Sponsorship for your shrine?  Personal favors?"

"If you wish to do so, I can accept a small donation for the shrine." Kikyo told him.  "Anything else would be too much."

"Very well," Akito said, rising carefully to his feet.  Kikyo and Hatori rose with him.  "I will have a check made out and sent to the shrine.  Hatori will show you out.  Thank you once again."  Akito bowed one last time as Kikyo walked out the door.

When she was gone Akito stood staring at the now closed inner door, seeing nothing.

'She is very powerful.' He thought as he turned and walked across the room to the outer door and its view of the koi pond.  'I felt the curse stir while she was doing her Delving.  It has… receded.  I feel much better, more alive, than I have in years.  She does indeed have strong spiritual powers.  

'And there can be no doubt she is related to Tohru Honda.  They have the same eyes…'

His finch stirred in its cage and let out a quiet trill of song, sensing the change in atmosphere and hoping for the better.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	2. What IS that 'warm tingly' sensation?

Disclaimer:  I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen.  I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters *cough*YUKI*cough* and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me.  So don't sue me.  I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.

Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done!  Arigato!

Chapter Two:  What **is** that 'warm tingly'sensation?

"Thank you for coming with me to the Main House today, Miss Honda." Yuki said.  They walked side by side down the carefully raked gravel path that led up to the front door of the main house.  "I do hope it was no trouble."

"Oh no, it was no trouble at all!" Tohru rushed to assure him.  She swung her little purse at her side as she walked with a light, bouncing step.  "I needed to get out today anyway to pick up the ingredients for Somen.  I thought they would make a nice cool meal with all the heat we've been having.  I thought I'd prepare some sashimi to go with them."

"That sounds wonderful, Miss Honda." Yuki told her.  Tohru smiled broadly at him and he couldn't help but to smile back.  "But isn't that an awful lot of work?"

"No, not at all!" Tohru said.  "I've been wanting to try making sashimi for a while now.  I've never done it before, and I thought I'd use you and Shigure and Kyo as… lab rats."  She giggled.

Yuki laughed lightly along with her.

It was about a month after the incident with Kyo's mononoke.  The slightly wide eyed look about Tohru had faded to just barely noticeable.  She and Kyo were becoming extremely close, and Yuki knew it was only a matter of time before Kyo would ask her out.  He had no idea how Kagura would respond to that.

What surprised Yuki the most was that he didn't really find himself minding Kyo and Tohru's closeness.  Yes, he resented the time that Kyo spent with her, but Yuki had come to realize that he and Tohru just wouldn't make successful romantic material.  Tohru had ceased blushing at him as much as she used to, and begun blushing twice as much around the Cat, much to Yuki's chagrin.  

He remembered when he'd thought he was madly in love with her.  Now that he thought about it, he probably had been, but nothing had come of it and it had faded into this more comfortable, refined brotherly love.  Yuki was happy with that, so long as he got to stay near her.  She was probably the only person he trusted completely, with his life and his secrets.

Tohru had come to be something like a sister.

Of course Kyo had no idea.  He was utterly blind to the fact that Yuki and Tohru had nothing romantic between them.  He and Yuki regularly got into vicious spats over Tohru.  One day, Yuki would correct him, violently if necessary, but for now Yuki found it darkly humorous.

He realized abruptly that Tohru was no longer beside him.  He turned around and spotted her standing some twenty paces behind him on the path, staring off into the trees on her left.  He went back to see what had caught her attention.  "What is it, Miss Honda?"

She jumped, obviously startled, and blinked disbelievingly at him for a moment before looking back into the trees.  "I don't believe it!  That's – that's Kikyo!"  She abruptly leapt into motion.  "Kikyo!" She shouted, running full tilt towards the tree line.

"Miss Honda!"  Yuki looked where Tohru had been looking, and saw something altogether unexpected.  On a gravel path, visible beyond a line of carefully sculpted trees, stood Hatori in deep conversation with a … Miko?  He couldn't see her face at the moment, her back was to him, but her costume was extremely traditional, right down to the wooden geta sandals on short, raised platforms and her dark red-brown hair pulled into a waist length tail and two coiled loops.  Her hakama pants were dark burgundy, and the back of her white hippari jacket was embroidered with a bold black kanji ring that said 'Hondachi'.

She heard what was obviously her name and turned to find the source of the shout, making Yuki's mouth run dry.  She looked eerily like Tohru, if Tohru had been beautiful and not merely pretty. 

Her eyes were large and slightly almond shaped, the most amazing shade of brilliant, vivid, surreal, emerald green he had ever seen, with long black lashes that outlined her eyes boldly, drawing attention.  Her lips were the color of dark pink rose petals and looked to be as soft.  Her long bangs gently brushed the sides of her face and made his fingers itch to brush them back.  A slight blush of surprise and excitement touched her cheeks when she saw Tohru and a huge smile covered her face instantly, creating a tight, warm, tingly knot in his stomach.  "Tohru!" She cried, and her voice was a warm alto, melodious and gentle.

In short, Yuki was instantly attracted to her.  Now, this was something new and interesting to him.  He was used to girls following him and fainting when he spoke to them, but never before had **he** felt that way about a girl.  Well, there was a first time for everything.

"Kikyo!" Tohru shouted once more before enthusiastically tackling the other girl to the ground.  They rolled head over heals for about five feet in a giggling mess before coming to a halt with their arms wrapped around each other in a tight hug.  They began speaking over each other, asking questions, demanding answers with huge smiles on their faces.  "Kikyo!  When did you get back from Asahikawa?! How long have you been here?!  Where are you staying?  Why haven't I heard from you since Mom's funeral?"

Kikyo was running over her with questions of her own.  "Tohru, where are you living?  Grandpa said you lived with a friend, but didn't elaborate.  Why aren't you staying with him?  You should have told me if you needed someplace to stay!  Where are you going to school?"

Eventually they ran out of breath and pulled back to look each other in the eye, then fell together giggling again.

Yuki walked up to Hatori, who had a mildly surprised and amused expression on his face.  "Who is she?"  Yuki asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the two girls as they stood and began picking grass off each other.

"Her name is Kikyo Honda."  Hatori answered.  "She is the Miko at the Hondachi shrine on the other side of town, and apparently she knows Tohru quite well."

"Why is she here?" Yuki asked.

"She came to treat Akito."

Finally, Yuki looked at the other man.  "Treat him?" Yuki asked even quieter still.

"You know he's been ill since the incident." Hatori responded.  "I wasn't able to do anything for him with Western medicine, so we felt that a more traditional approach might be worth trying."

Yuki was silent for a moment as he watched Kikyo turn in a circle so that Tohru could admire her Miko outfit.  "Did it work?"

"Miraculously." Hatori confirmed.  "She truly does have Miko powers."

"Amazing." Yuki whispered.

The girls rejoined them, blushing slightly but smiling like the sun.  Tohru spoke.  "I'm sorry to have interrupted your conversation, Hatori.  It's just been so long since I've seen Kikyo, I got very excited."

"That's perfectly alright, Tohru." Hatori assured her.  "I take it you know each other well?"

"Yes, Hatori-san.  We're cousins." Kikyo said, smiling.  "Our dads were brothers."

"Oh, I'm being so rude!" Tohru exclaimed suddenly.  "Kikyo, this is Yuki Sohma.  Yuki, this is Kikyo Honda."

"Very pleased to meet you." Yuki murmured as he bowed politely to the Miko.  He felt a blush heat his cheeks.

She smiled and blushed, a shade of petal soft mauve that touched her cheeks and the bridge of her nose delicately, bowing gracefully back.  "And you as well." She said breathily.  That knot in the middle of his diaphragm tightened once, sending prickles across his skin.

"Kikyo has been training in the mountains in Hokkaido."  Tohru told them.  "The last time I saw her was at Mom's funeral."

"Then why don't you two catch up while I see to Yuki." Hatori suggested.  "Yuki, follow me."

They set off together for the main house, but Yuki glanced back every once in a while to catch a glimpse of them talking animatedly as they sat on a bench beneath a sakura tree.  Once they'd kicked their shoes off and gone inside to Hatori's office, Yuki spoke.  "What exactly did she do for Akito?"

Hatori gestured for Yuki to remove his shirt and hop up onto the table.  "She came in, opened all the doors and windows, read his palm, looked into his eyes and Delved his aura.  Then she diagnosed him as having a curse, and made him a potion to relieve some of the symptoms.  He began to improve immediately."

Yuki blinked dumbfoundedly.  "H – How is he now?" He asked faintly.

Hatori pressed the stethoscope to Yuki's chest.  "Very well.  The windows are open and he's dressed.  Quiet now, and breathe."

Yuki breathed deeply for several minutes while Hatori slid the cold stethoscope around on his chest and back.  When he was done, he pulled his shirt back on and hopped off the table.

"You're perfectly fine.  Keep on as you have been." Hatori said.  "You're free to go.  Come back on the first of next month."

Yuki left, slipped on his shoes, and trotted back to the place where he'd left Tohru and Kikyo.  Tohru was kneeling on the ground in front of Kikyo, who was twisting Tohru's long hair into a complicated plait, capping her head like a braided crown.  The look was very becoming on Tohru, who blushed prettily when she saw Yuki coming.

"Yuki, do you mind if Kikyo comes with us on our errands and joins us for dinner?" Tohru asked, twisting a flower stem in her fingers nervously, concerned he might be displeased.  "She's very good at preparing sashimi, and it's been so long…"  She trailed off.

"Of course, she is more than welcome to go shopping with us.  We'll have to ask Shigure to see if he minds a guest, but somehow I doubt he will."  Yuki said.  Considering Kikyo's appearance, Yuki very seriously doubted Shigure would mind.  'Hell,' Yuki thought, 'I wouldn't mind, myself.  No!  Dirty thoughts!  Bad Yuki!'  His cheeks grew warm as he watched Kikyo's slender fingers nimbly twist Tohru's hair to a finish.

"Well, let's go!" Tohru exclaimed, leaping to her feet in a power stance.  "We're wasting precious shopping time!"  Tohru grasped one of Yuki's hands and one of Kikyo's hands and together they left the Sohma Compound.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Which do you think, Yuki?" Kikyo asked, pointing through the fish monger's glass case at three fresh cutlets.  "Salmon, cod, or tuna?  Which would your cousins prefer?"

Yuki thought for a moment, cupping his chin in long slender fingers, lavender eyes gazing through the glass.  "Well, I know Kyo loves cod, Shigure's very fond of tuna, and Miss Honda's favorite is salmon, so why not get some of each?"

"Oh, you don't think that would be too much, do you?" Kikyo asked concernedly, glancing at the cutlets again.  "Fish this fresh isn't cheap.  We could do one or maybe two today and another variety another time."

Yuki smiled.  'She's so much like Tohru, worrying over the price of fish.'  He cleared his throat, turning to the fish monger behind the counter.  "We'll take 450 grams each of the salmon, cod, and tuna."  The fish monger nodded agreeably and reached in to pull them out for cutting and measuring.  Yuki glanced at Kikyo.

She had a tiny delighted smile on her face, and Yuki could tell instantly she was secretly happy that they'd gotten some of all three varieties.  She touched one hand gently to the back of her hair, and pulled her hippari straight.  Yuki felt that warm knot form in his diaphragm again.

'What **is** that warm tingly sensation?' He thought, curiously.  There had been times when he'd gotten it around Tohru, though they'd been few and far between, and none in the last month.  Like that time at the hot springs, when he'd given her the set of yellow silk hair ribbons.  As he'd watched her take her hair out of the braided bun she'd had it in, and gently comb through it with her fingers, he'd gotten the same type of feeling in his gut, the warm knot that made him shiver.

As he watched Kikyo delicately tap the toes of her sandals on the floor the knot pulsed, making his skin prickle again.

Tohru rejoined them then.  She'd wandered off down an isle to collect the makings for Somen.  She came back with her basket a little fuller than when she'd left, and to that collection Yuki added the three cutlets of fish wrapped neatly in plain, brown paper.  He paid for their purchases, despite all of Kikyo and Tohru's protests, and made their way to the road that led back to Shigure's house.

"So, where are you going to school, Miss Honda?"  Yuki asked off hand, trying to start a conversation.

Both Tohru and Kikyo looked at him, Tohru with a puzzled expression.

"Uh, Kikyo, I meant." Yuki clarified artlessly.

"I'm home schooled." Kikyo said.  She kicked a rock and sent it cart wheeling down the road.  "Most of my schooling was done on the side of my Miko training, so I haven't had a chance to go to a real school.  Although, I would like to spend my senior year at a public school, now that my reclusion studies are done."

"How long have you been in Miko training?" Yuki asked.

"Informally, since I was just a little girl." Kikyo said.  "Tomoyo-baasan was a great sorceress, so when everyone realized I had the Talent, I moved to Hokkaido with her.  She has taught me much, and now that I'm done with my training, I've moved back here to help in the family shrine."

"Miss Honda, why didn't you move there when your Mom died?" Yuki asked curiously, looking at Tohru.

Tohru shrugged.  "The Hondas that own the shrine are from my Dad's side of the family.  I never really knew them all that well.  Tomoyo-baasan was Dad's only sister, and she lives so far away and I didn't know Dad's side of the family very well, except for Grandpa, and I wanted to stay here so I could keep going to the same High School, and Grandpa was willing to have me stay with him…"

"Okay, Miss Honda!" Yuki cut her off.  Not rudely, but she was rambling.  "I understand."

Kikyo smiled on the other side of Tohru, obviously knowing why Yuki had cut in.  Yuki smiled back at her, a blush heating his cheeks.

"Anyway, now I live and work at the Hondachi shrine." Kikyo said.  "Tohru, you never told me why you're living with the Sohmas and not Grandpa.  I must admit I'm curious."

Tohru laughed nervously.  "Well, uh…  Ah…"

"It just works out better this way." Yuki leapt in.  "We go to the same school, we're in many of the same classes, and none of us can take care of ourselves.  Miss Honda is our housekeeper."

"Ah." Kikyo nodded.

But Yuki saw that she didn't take that explanation at face value.  Which isn't to say she didn't believe him; Yuki got the feeling she was almost as trusting as Tohru.  Just that she knew there was more.  Yuki reminded himself that she knew there was a curse on the Sohma family, even though she didn't know what it was.  He'd have to be very careful around her; it was too easy to treat her the same way he treated Tohru, who did know much about the curse, though even she didn't know it all.

Also, there was something… about Kikyo's eyes… that was very different from Tohru's.

Tohru's eyes were full of love and trust.  She saw the world as an idealized place where everything from clouds to concrete was beautiful.  All people held good in them somewhere, and only needed nurturing to bring it out.  And Tohru had a way about her of doing that, bringing out the best in everyone she met.  She was inconceivably naïve, to the point of gullibility and personal danger to herself.

Kikyo, on the other hand…  Kikyo's eyes were different.  They saw and recorded everything, down to the most minute detail.  Her mind was as sharp as a sword blade.  

Yuki saw this.  He respected it, marveled at it, even felt intimidated by it.  

"Well…  Exactly how far is it to your house, Yuki-san?" Kikyo asked after a moment.

"Only a few more minutes." Yuki told her.  "It's just over this rise, and off the road a ways."

Kikyo sighed, smiling.  "It must be nice to live out of the city this far.  It's so much quieter and you can really feel nature.  The air smells much cleaner."

"I like it a lot." Tohru agreed.  "There's no cars driving by, not many planes overhead, so you get a peaceful sense of seclusion."

A few minutes later, after tramping off the beaten path and into the trees a bit, they reached Shigure's house.  Yuki spied a familiar orange head on the roof, looking down at them.  

Tohru spotted it too.  "Kyou!  Come down!  I'd like you to meet my cousin!"  She called.

Kyo's head disappeared and Yuki, Tohru, and Kikyo went into the house.  

"Not to pry, Tohru," Kikyo said softly as she slipped her geta off and set them neatly together on the mat inside the door.  "But how many of you live here?"

"Oh, there are four of us usually." Tohru responded.  "Yuki, Kyou, Shigure, and myself.  It's very nice, and usually peace –"

"Yo!" Kyou's loud exclamation broke into Tohru's sentence.  After standing there for several moments and not getting noticed he'd decided to make them notice them.  "What's goin' on?"

"Oh, Kyou!" Tohru exclaimed.  "You came down quickly!  Kyou, this is my cousin, Kikyo Honda."  Kikyo bobbed a polite bow.  "Kikyo, this is Kyou Sohma."  To Yuki's surprise, Kyou bowed politely back.

"Nice to meet you." Kikyo murmured, smilingly.

"Uh, yeah.  Same here." Kyou said distractedly.  "Hey, have I met you before?"

Kikyo blinked in surprise for a moment, as did Tohru and Yuki.

'What?  Where could he possibly have met her?' Yuki thought.  That knot in his stomach had moved up into his chest, constricting uncomfortably.

Kikyo looked at Kyou for several moments, fantastically green eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, before they flew open and a broad smile lit up her face.  "Carrot-Top!" She exclaimed.

Kyou laughed.  "Red!"

"You've… met before?" Tohru asked.

AN:  I'll leave it there for now.  Where could Kyou and Kikyo possibly have met before?  And what the junk's wrong with Yuki, huh?  Just a few things to think about…  I'll update as soon as the next chapter gets written.  I can't promise anything soon, though, cause this is my last week before finals, but I'll do my best to keep it going steady.  Thanks!  Please leave a review!


	3. Tohru's Family

Disclaimer:  I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen.  I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters coughYUKIcough and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me.  So don't sue me.  I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.

Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done!  Arigato!

Chapter Three:  Tohru's Family  OR  My, What Interesting Friends You've Made…

"You've… met before?" Tohru asked.

"Oh, yes!" Kikyo exclaimed.  She was so happy to see Carrot-Top again; it had been almost three years.  "We met up in Hokkaido."

"What were you doing in Hokkaido?" Yuki asked.

Kikyo was surprised.  Yuki's voice was usually so mellow and smooth.  Speaking to Kyou it had gained an edge of hostility that rang in Kikyo's ears. 

Kyou's oddly red eyes turned on Yuki like bloodied broken glass.  "That's none of your damn business, Rat."

Yuki's gorgeous violet eyes were equally cold, his lips purse slightly in displeasure making them pale.  "It is my business because I'm asking you, what were you doing in Hokkaido?"

Kyou growled like a cornered feline.  "I ain't sayin nothin!  Now get outta my way, damn Rat!"  Kyou darted for the door. 

Yuki stepped smoothly in front of him and pulled back a fist at waist level, rocketing it forward to impact sharply with Kyou's ribs.  Kyou grunted and slipped to one side, twisting and bringing an elbow back into Yuki's shoulder.  Yuki grimaced and brought his knee up into Kyou's stomach.

Tohru was wringing her hands.  "Oh, don't fight!  Please, don't fight!"  She moaned, clutching her hands together so hard her knuckles were white.  "Please stop!"

And, shockingly, Yuki shoved Kyou to the ground, and the fight ended there.  It had only lasted for a few heartbeats, but both boys were breathing harder than they had been before.  Yuki rubbed his shoulder absently for a moment, stuck in a glaring match with Kyou, then picked up the bag of groceries and moved out of the entryway.

Kikyo watched him go with a tiny frown on her face.  When he ducked out of sight she turned to Kyou who was now pulling on his shoes disconsolately, talking under his breath and saying things Kikyo was sure were somewhat less then complimentary.

She squatted down next to him as Tohru went after Yuki.  "What was that all about?" she asked softly.

Kyou stiffened for a moment, not responding.

Kikyo placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and massaged it gently for a moment.

Finally Kyou relaxed, leaning into Kikyo's massaging hand.  She shifted it to the other shoulder and brought her other hand up to take its place, giving him a gentle back rub.  He sighed.  "Do you remember how I used to complain about my one cousin that pissed me off so much?"

"Mmm-hmm." Kikyo affirmed.  "Oh, that's Yuki, is it?"

Kyou snorted.  "Yeah, that's Yuki alright.  Bastard."

Kikyo massaged his shoulders gently for a few more moments then sat back on her heels.  "Well, let me have a look at your ribs.  How hard did he hit you?"

Kyou shifted to lean against the wall and pulled his shirt up to his armpits.  Kikyo frowned; low on the left hand side of his ribcage was a dark red mark that was quickly turning purple.  She probed it with gentle fingers, noting when and how Kyou winced.  "Mmm, you'll have a lovely bruise."  Kikyo reached for her scrip and rummaged around inside for a moment before pulling out a small clay jar.  She undid the stopper and stuck two fingers inside, pulling them out tipped in pungent smelling grey-brown greasy goop.  "This should help a bit with the pain, and make it heal faster." She told him as she smeared the nasty smelling stuff on his skin and rubbed it in.

"Does everything you use smell bad?" He demanded, but held still for the treatment.  He was probably remembering the one flu medicine she'd made him drink back in Hokkaido.

Kikyo smiled as she put the jar of unguent away.  "It's part of the treatment.  If it looks gross, smells bad, and tastes nasty, you're more inclined to try and avoid doing anything that'll make it necessary.  Keep that in mind the next time you get it in your head to fight."

Kyou smiled grimly.  "I'll remember that."

Kikyo nodded and rose to her feet, moving off down the hall in search of the kitchen.

"Hey!" Kyou called.  Kikyo stopped and looked back at him where he was standing in the door.  "Thanks, Red."

From his position at the end of the hall leading form the entryway into the kitchen, Yuki was watching Kikyo give Kyou a backrub.  He ground his teeth, unaware of the dark expression on his face.

"Is something the matter?" Tohru asked quietly.  Yuki glanced over his shoulder at her.  She stood at the counter and was unpacking and putting away the things they'd bought at the grocery store, glancing at him with concern written all over her face.

Yuki shrugged, forcing his shoulders to relax.  "It's nothing, Miss Honda.  Kyou hit me harder than I'd thought, that's all."

"Will you be alright?  You should have Kikyo look at it.  That is what she does."  Tohru moved past him as he stepped back into the kitchen again, smoothly shifting to one side in mid-step to keep him from transforming, and put some ingredients away in their proper cupboard.  "She is very good at healing."

Yuki stuck his head out into the hallway again to see Kikyo bent over Kyou, running her long, slender fingers over his ribs while he held his shirt up for her.  They were smiling at each other warmly.  It was odd to see Kyou smile so freely; he usually only smiled at Tohru, although he had been loosening up.

Yuki realized he was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were cracking and his fingernails were biting into the soft flesh of his palms.

Kikyo stood and turned, and Yuki quickly ducked back into the kitchen before she saw he'd been watching.  He moved to lean against the counter next to Tohru where she was efficiently chopping onions and celery.

Kikyo stepped into the kitchen and looked around, admiring the décor before walking over to the table and setting her little medicine bag down.  "Well, Yuki, let me see your shoulder."

Yuki glanced at Tohru who nodded encouragingly, before moving to Kikyo's side.  She turned and suddenly he found himself sitting in a chair while she unbuttoned his shirt.  Her fingers slid the pale blue material aside and left his right shoulder exposed to scrutiny.  He found himself blushing, but staring at her face and hands as though watching something he'd never seen before.

Her hands were cool and dry against his skin, but somehow left trails of burning sensitivity everywhere she touched.  Her magnificently green eyes were shaded by the longest eyelashes Yuki had ever seen, and her mouth was set in the slightest smile, a mere curving at the corners of her lips.  Her bangs lie softly against the sides of her face and fell into her eyes, and Yuki found himself wanting to tuck them back behind her ears for her. 

She pushed and prodded with the fingers of one hand while manipulating the movement of his arm at the elbow with the other.  A tiny frown touched her eyebrows and she turned to pull something out of her bag.  She uncapped the tiny jar and with her fingers scooped out some foul looking pinkish-orange goo. 

"I know it smells gross, but it will keep your shoulder from getting stiff and help prevent bruising."  She spoke softly as she began to massage it into his skin.  She was right it did smell foul; like a stables that hadn't been cleaned in a month.

But Yuki didn't really mind the smell.  He shivered when her breath touched his neck.

'_What is the matter with you, Yuki?!_' He thought to himself angrily.  '_What are you thinking?  She's just doing her job!  She's only helping you because that stupid Cat got a hit in._'

When she was done Yuki stood and pulled his shirt back onto his shoulder and buttoned it up.  "Thank you, Honda-san."

Kikyo frowned slightly, sad because of his frosty tone.  She probably thought the color in his cheeks was from anger.  "It was no trouble, really."

"Well, what have we here?"

'_Great, the damn Dog just **had** to show up now_.' Yuki thought darkly.

"What a lovely young woman." Shigure was standing in the door of the kitchen, thumbs behind the belt of his yukata and leaning against the door frame with a roguish, lop-sided grin on his face as he gazed Kikyo up and down.  "And do my eyes deceive me, or is she truly a sorceress as her costume suggests?"

"Shigure…" Yuki growled in warning, but his older cousin ignored him.

"You must be very powerful to have seduced sweet, innocent Yuki so—" He cut off as Yuki shoved him back out the door and into the hall.

"Oh, Shigure!" Tohru exclaimed, worry touching her features.

Kikyo had a look on her face that was half concerned, half amused.  "Is he alright?" She asked Yuki.

"Not for long." Yuki growled.  Kikyo chuckled at his tone.

Shigure came back into the kitchen straightening his robe and rubbing the back of his head.  And no sooner had his hand left his head than Kikyo's hands replaced it, feeling for an injury.  Yuki's hands clenched into fists again.

"You're okay.  Not even a bump." Kikyo assured him as she withdrew her hands.

"Thank you for your kindness." Shigure smiled at her.  "To live in this house with Yuki and Kyou is to have to endure repeated injury.  It's very nice that you give your expert care without so much as a thought for what you want in return.  You're simply an angel.  By the way, since Yuki is being so rude, I am Shigure Sohma, his older and much less violent cousin." He reached out for her hand and bowed over it, bringing the back of her hand to his lips.  "Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Kikyo's cheeks were bright red, and her eyes sparkled.  "I'm Kikyo Honda.  Tohru's cousin." 

"Ah, another lovely young flower to grace our home.  You must stay for dinner, of course."

"Well, yes, I was going to help Tohru prepare sashimi."  Kikyo told him, gently prying her hand from his grip and blushing all the while.  Once she was free she turned to Tohru.  "I hate to bother you, but do you think I could borrow some of your clothes?"

"Ah, of course." Tohru laid aside her kitchen knife and apron and Kikyo followed her into the hall.

Yuki watched them leave before turning to glare at Shigure.  "Without even trying, I can think of several evil things to do to you."

"Evil?" Shigure exclaimed in mock-innocence.  "Why, Yuki, I have no idea what you mean.  I was merely extending the hand of friendship to dear Tohru's lovely cousin.  Would you have me be rude?"

"**I** would have you beaten with pointy sticks, but no one listens to me."  Yuki turned on his heal and stalked out of the kitchen.

Shigure looked at the ceiling in what he thought was the direction of Tohru's room, smiling and laughing to himself.

"Well, Tohru, there is one thing I can say." Kikyo said as she pulled on one of Tohru's short pleated skirts.  It was pale yellow with a tiny pattern of white daisies and only came about halfway down her thighs.  "You certainly have made interesting friends."

Tohru blushed as she folded Kikyo's hippari and placed it neatly on top of the hakama.  "They've been so very kind to me.  The least I can do is put up with a few little eccentricities." 

Kikyo laughed lightly and pulled one of Tohru's white peasant blouses over her head.  "I didn't mean that to be mean, I just meant that they're very interesting people."

"Yes, the Sohmas are a unique and special family."  Tohru agreed.  "Sit down and I'll brush your hair."

Kikyo sat down on the edge of the bed and Tohru climbed on behind her with a brush in hand.  Tohru undid her cousin's hair and let it fall loose down her back in a dark red cascade to the dark pink comforter, then began brushing it gently.

After a few minutes, Kikyo cleared her throat.  "Um, is the whole Sohma family good looking?"

Tohru's brush slowed for a moment.  "You know, I don't think I have ever met a Sohma who **wasn't** extremely good looking.  I never thought about it before, I suppose."

"It's just that Yuki…"  Kikyo didn't finish her sentence.  Her cheeks went warm and her heart fluttered in her chest.

She could hear the blush in Tohru's voice without even looking at her.  "Yes, he is very handsome."

"Handsome is an understatement." Kikyo laughed.  "He's positively gorgeous.  I'm impressed at your self-restraint.  I think I might have thrown him up against the nearest wall and had my way with him very quickly, were I you."

Tohru laughed uncomfortably.

Suddenly Kikyo understood.  "Unless, of course, you'd rather have Carrot-Top."

Now Tohru **really** laughed uncomfortably.

Kikyo turned around to look at Tohru's blushing face.  "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Tohru.  I was just wondering what was going on in your life.  I nice boy like Kyou would be wonderful for you.  I think you've needed a relationship for a long time."

Tohru shifted and looked down at the brush in her lap.  "There… is no relationship."

"Oh?"

"Kyou's just my friend." Tohru shrugged.  "Sometimes, when he looks at me a certain way, I think there might be something more, but there never is."

Kikyo smiled and pulled Tohru into a comforting hug.  "I'm sure there is.  Somewhere, deep inside, Kyou has changed from who he used to be.  He's a much warmer person now than he was when I first met him.  I think that might be your influence."

Tohru leaned back, laughing embarrassedly.  "Heh, no, I – I'm sure it's nothing to do with me."

Kikyo looked into Tohru's eyes.  After a moment she smiled again and stood, smoothing her skirt over her hips.  "We should head back downstairs and keep working on dinner."  She grabbed her black ribbon off the edge of Tohru's bed and pulled the front of her hair back into a ponytail, leaving the rest long.  It fell to her waist in a straight, dark red sheet, curling under slightly at the end.

Tohru hopped off the bed and followed her out the door.

AN:  I'm not sure how long it will be before I can post on any of my stories again.  I'm working at a camp this summer, so I won't have constant access to the internet.  I'll only be able to update when I'm home, which will only be every few weekends or so.  BUT, you can rest assured that I will continue writing, by hand if necessary, to continue moving the plot along.  So check back every once in a while, and you may find progress!


	4. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen. I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters coughYUKIcough and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me. So don't sue me. I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.

Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done! Arigato!

* * *

Chapter Four: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner OR The Whole Damn Peanut Gallery Just Had To Show Up

* * *

Yuki was sitting at the dinning room table watching a little bit of the news. The blanket from the table was draped across his legs and the heater was only going at a low setting. That day had been comfortably warm and the heater was just coming on as the sun set.

The news was uninteresting. Oil prices were up. The NASDAQ was down. Some German Scientist had published the results of his stem cell research and announced that great progress had been made. War in the Middle East was escalating.

Flipping rapidly through the channels, Yuki let his mind slip into a daze. _Cooking, PPV, sitcom, MXC, subbed movie, home improvement… What was wrong with Akito? How was Kikyo able to help him? Does she have magical powers? Like Hanajima? Creepy… Kikyo… She's amazing. Why do I feel this way? What's wrong with me? It's like I can feel my heart beating harder than usual. Unless… it's her heart I feel beating._ Subconsciously his free hand drifted to the shoulder she had tended. The bruise wasn't sore at all. He slipped his hand inside his shirt and ran his fingers across the skin of his shoulder. His skin felt hypersensitive; everywhere Kikyo had touched him it seemed to tingle in memory. Even when he removed his hand the trails she'd left on his skin still felt like they were glowing. He pulled his hand out of his shirt and let it drop into his lap, closing his eyes to concentrate more fully on his thoughts. _What has she done to me? I can't stop thinking about her. What if she really is a sorceress?_ His eyes popped open at this disturbing thought. Somehow that thought of being seduced by magic, like a character in some fantasy novel, was both frightening and strangely appealing.

He glanced at the TV and was alarmed to see that he had stopped clicking in the middle of a steamy love scene from some American movie. Blushing furiously he stabbed the channel button repeatedly and didn't stop until he'd reached the same news program he'd started with. Apparently the weather was going to get nasty and turn absolutely atrocious later that evening as a direct result of Typhoon Sareno which was going to hit Taiwan head on. Thankful that the typhoon hadn't turned north as some weathermen had predicted, Yuki sighed and set the remote aside to lean forward on his elbows and relax. He rested his head on his forearms and closed his eyes.

Some time later, he wasn't sure if he had dozed off or not, someone entered the room and spoke to him.

"Yuki, dinner's almost ready."

Not really awake but not really sleeping, Yuki didn't register the words.

"Yuki?"

It was a girl's voice.

"Yuki, are you alright?"

She touched his shoulder gently to wake him. He let out a sigh that was half moan. He did not want to wake up. He'd been in the middle of a lovely half-dream in which he was at a dance club dancing with girls and **not** transforming into a rat. Kikyo had been there, so had Tohru. He doubted either of them would dance like that, though.

"Yuki, it's time for dinner. You need to wake up so we can set the table."

"Uhhhh. Five more minutes, Tohru. That's all." He groaned.

Laughter. "It's not Tohru, it's Kikyo. And these plates aren't exactly lightweight."

**That** woke him up like a bucket of ice water down the pants. He sat up blinking and staring wide-eyed at the girl next to him.

Kikyo had on some of Tohru's clothes which suited her very well, though the skirt was a tad short and showed a considerable amount of smooth, lightly tanned, lean thigh. The blouse fit well and the pleated empire waistline accentuated her bust and narrow waist. Her hair fell around her face in a curtain of dark red silk and her eyes caught the light in such a way as to make them glow.

Caught quite out of sorts, all Yuki could do was blink at her stupidly with his mouth open.

With a jokingly harried expression Kikyo sighed and smiled and moved around behind and past him to set the table around him. He watched her with wide, unblinking eyes. Finally she was only holding one place setting, and he hadn't moved yet, merely sat there staring at her as she worked.

She sank down onto her knees next to him with a tiny worried frown. "Yuki, are you okay?"

"Nnnn." He stated eloquently.

Kikyo very carefully laid aside the place setting in her hands and moved toward him. It was a shocking sensation to have her hands touching his face and he felt his cheeks flame up. She stared deeply into his eyes and he marveled at the unbelievable variation in tones of greens in her irises. Her hands went from cool to almost uncomfortably hot as she brushed back his hair and settled her hands along his cheeks and jaw. Several moments passed and Yuki wildly thought that she was going to kiss him.

She sat back on her heels however and smiled slightly at him. "You're a very deep sleeper."

He blinked. "Wha?"

Her smile grew. "You had me worried for a moment, I thought you were ill, but you'd just fallen asleep and you're a very deep sleeper. You don't wake easily and when you do wake you're not lucid for some time. You just move around your house in a daze, like a zombie."

"How…?"

She chuckled and a light blush came to her cheeks. "Looking into your eyes told me as much." She averted hers.

Reality began to flow back to him and he was suddenly very uncomfortable. Kikyo was sitting very close to him and the possibility of his transforming came sharply to the front of his mind. He cleared his throat and scooted back slightly so that he could rise to his feet. She rose with him and gathered up the things to set the place he'd been occupying. He moved around to the far side of the table to turn off the TV, though he kept Kikyo in the corner of his eye.

_So she knew I was a heavy sleeper just by looking into my eyes. She must have magic powers. Or at least spiritual ones._ Yuki thought.

Kikyo left the room to head back into the kitchen and Yuki followed her. Tohru and Kyou were tag-teaming to finish dinner; Kyou was packing small rice balls and Tohru was standing at his side laying thin cuts of fish and shrimp across the tops of them as he finished each one. Yuki thought they looked very natural standing so close together, and despite his wishes a small twinge of jealousy stabbed him in the gut. Foolish though it was, given that they obviously liked each other very much and Yuki had discovered that he had no romantic feelings for Tohru anymore, it still hurt somehow.

Kikyo moved to the stove and brushed past him on her way to the dinning room carrying a large pot of delicately scented, pale miso soup. It looked and smelled wonderful and Yuki felt his mouth begin to water.

"What is that heavenly aroma?" Shigure asked as he stepped into the kitchen. "I feel as though I haven't eaten in days. The smell of gourmet cooking is practically torture."

Tohru immediately looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have made something more substantial for lunch, or perhaps set out a snack. It has been a long time since our last meal."

"No, Dear Tohru, do not apologize. I did not mean for that to sound like a complaint. I merely meant that the delicious smell of the food prepared by you and your cousin, the lovely Kikyo, has activated my salivary glands and tricked my mind into feeling undernourished." Shigure alliterated. He smiled at her, ignoring the way Kyou's knuckles popped as he clenched his fists around a ball of rice, and shrugged casually. "In other words, the food smells great, Tohru."

"Oh." Tohru smiled sheepishly. "Well, thank you. But you should really be thanking Kikyo. She did most of the work. I'm not very good at making the fancy things, really only homey-foods."

"Nonsense, Tohru." Kikyo stated as she walked back through the room to accept the platter of sashimi from Tohru. "You did wonderfully and you're a very quick learner."

"Thanks." Tohru blushed.

"Everything's ready, so come on in and take a seat." Kikyo informed them. She led them into the dining room and set down the last dish of food. What waited for them was a meal of surpassing loveliness and mouthwatering aromas. Everything was set up like art and appeared very professional and beautiful.

They were just sitting down to dinner when the phone rang.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Shigure said. He stood and moved into the hall while the four teens listened from the dining room. "Hello… Hi Ha'ri! What's up? … Of course not… Well, yeah… H-How many? … I'm not sure… Why don't you just… don't worry about it, it'll be fine… Bai-bai."

He wandered back into the dining room and sat down again, making himself comfortable.

Irritated at the lack of explanation Kyou burst out. "Well? What the hell's going on? What did Hatori want?"

"Ha'ri just wanted to let us know that he was going to be stopping by in a while and he was bringing a few people with him." Shigure said. "Ladies this looks positively scrumptious. Let's dig in."

"Shigure, how long was it going to be?" Yuki demanded quietly.

Shigure cast him a slightly uneasy look. "Soon."

"How soon?"

The door bell rang. "Soon soon."

"Dammit, Shigure!" Kyou yelled, leaping to his feet. "We didn't make enough food for the whole damn Peanut Gallery! What are we going to feed them?"

"Oh dear!" Tohru was worrying about the same thing. "I have to go see what we have to serve." She rushed into the kitchen leaving the others in the dining room.

"You've made Miss Honda worry, Shigure." Yuki said softly, threateningly. "I should hurt you for that."

Looking slightly panicky Shigure scrambled to his feet. "Someone has to answer the door."

Kikyo was already at the door to the hall. "Don't worry. I'll get it. You gentlemen can resolve your differences." She cast a slightly sly smile back over her shoulder then ducked into the hall, leaving Shigure with the two looming teens, though they both watched her leave.

Yuki turned to Kyou. "She's really quite different from Tohru, isn't she?"

Kyou shrugged. "I don't know. They're a lot alike in some ways, but totally different in others. Kikyo isn't as… innocent as Tohru is."

A tick started in a muscle under Yuki's right eye. "What does that mean?"

Catching the threatening glare from the Rat, Kyou threw up defensive hands. "Nothing, just that she's worldlier, I dunno! Back off!"

"Not until you tell me what you meant." Yuki growled. He cast a glare at Shigure that pinned him where he was trying to army crawl into the kitchen and safety. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh…"

"Stay there."

"Okay."

"Now, what did you mean?"

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A/N: Wow. It sure did take me forever, but here it is. I appologize for the delay, but you must understand that I can only write when the muse descends. If I write when I'm not inspired it comes out as crap. Anyway, enjoy!

Rae :D


	5. When it Rains

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen. I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters coughYUKIcough and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me. So don't sue me. I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.

Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done! Arigato!

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A/N: Several people have now left reviews relating my character Kikyo to the character Kikyo in Inuyasha. All I can say is, "Are you reading my story or not?" Yes they have the same name and yes they are both priestesses, but the similarities end there. They don't look alike, they don't act alike, THEY ARE NOTHING ALIKE! My Kikyo is NOT the Kikyo from Inuyasha! THAT Kikyo is an undead clay pot that eats women's souls to maintain her pathetic excuse of a 'life' and won't leave Inuyasha alone! I hate that Kikyo and my Kikyo is NOTHING like her! 

growls Now I'm all worked up! I must calm myself. Yuki, where are you? I wanna cuddle!

Yuki – Oh, God. Hide me.

Rae – Nonsense. You like it, I can tell.

Yuki – It's a lie! A bitter falsehood!

Rae – Just remember, I'm the author. That means I am your God, and you are my mortals; bow down to my divine power! (cackles malevolently)

All – Help us…

(Rant ends here…)

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Chapter Five: When it Rains…

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Kikyo made her way to the front door and slid it open. She blinked at the small group of people that stood before her. Rain was lashing the pavement and the people outside of Shigure's house were rapidly becoming soaked. It was an all out downpour! 

"Quick, come inside!" Kikyo slid the door open all the way and stepped back quickly, allowing them space to fit through the door. The three of them came in and stood on the stone floor dripping rain water everywhere.

"Hi, Kikyo! Do you remember me?" It was the little blonde girl with the liquid chocolate eyes. Her hair was plastered to her face and stuck up strangely in the back and her wet shirt clung to her chest and her socks were half falling down. Despite all that there was a huge smile on her face and her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Do you? Do you?"

Kikyo couldn't help but smile. "Of course I remember you! You're Momiji Sohma."

"You're right! And who's this?" Momiji yanked on the hand of the silent man next to her.

"Hatori-san." Kikyo smiled and bowed politely. "It's good to see you again."

"Indeed." He replied monotonously while concentrating on kicking his shoes off without slipping in all the rain water.

"And you don't know him yet, but that's Hatsuharu Sohma. Haru, this is Kikyo Honda, she's Tohru's cousin." Momiji proclaimed.

Hatsuharu was a gorgeous young man and Kikyo guessed he was around 16 or 17 years old. His hair was strange; white on top and black underneath, it was styled into a spiky mess of organized chaos. His eyes were clear and colorlessly grey and his skin was almost gothicly pale, and he had several piercings in each ear and a collection of black and silver jewelry adorned his neck and wrists. In short, Kikyo thought he was rather a hunk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Kikyo said as she bowed to him. She focused her gaze on the floor in a pathetic attempt to hide her sudden blush.

"Ah, the pleasure's all mine." Haru bowed back and smiled slightly, a mere up-turn at the corners of his lips. His voice was mellow and had a rough under tone.

'_Why are they all so hot!_' Kikyo wondered.

Her gaze, which was still aimed at the floor, focused on one of the puddles growing underfoot and suddenly she felt like a fool. "Oh, no! You're soaked! Give me a moment to find some towels and blankets." As she said this she realized that she had no idea where they were. Regardless, she moved back down the hall to the dining room and opened her mouth to ask where she could find the needed items, but froze at the bizarre scene that awaited her.

Yuki had Kyou pinned against the wall to her right with a hand to the red headed boy's throat. Kyou was clawing at Yuki's wrist and whispering something in a harsh undertone. At the same time Yuki also had Shigure pinned to the floor with one foot planted firmly in the center of the older man's back. Shigure was trying to squirm free but not having much success.

The expression on Yuki's face was intense and focused. His eyes were darkened almost to a plum color and he was grimacing as though he had fangs to flash threateningly. Kikyo almost swallowed her tongue. '_Sexy! Yuki is… oh, my lord, I'm a puddle…_ _Wait… I wonder…_' She frowned suddenly and her thoughts turned inward as the miko part of her brain spun into rotation.

"Honda-san?" Yuki's smooth voice snapped her out of her musings and she found herself confronted with his startlingly violet eyes in close range. His face was about a foot away from hers; he'd been bending over, trying to catch her eye.

"Oh, I- uh- n-need to find… towels… and blankets." Kikyo could have slapped herself for her lack of smoothness. "Your guests are soaked! It's really coming down out there."

"Here, follow me." Yuki cast one final glare over his shoulder at Kyou, who was rubbing his neck and cursing under his breath, then stepped past her and into the hallway she'd come out of. He took another turn shortly down a hall that led past the bathroom on the first floor and stopped at a shoji door that concealed the entrance to a walk-in linens closet. "It's a little cramped in here. I'll hand some towels out to you."

"Okay." Kikyo nodded once. She watched for a moment as he rummaged through stacks of towels trying to find relatively old ones to mop the floor with as well as nicer ones for the visitors to dry off with. She frowned slightly as she watched him, taking in the strange color of his hair and the fairness of his skin. Her cheeks colored slightly when he reached for a shelf over his head and his shirt pulled up high enough to reveal a few inches of his flat stomach. His abs were plainly visible, more so when he contracted them for leverage against the weight of the towels he was shifting through above his head. There was a narrow trail of downy grey fuzz that ran from his navel downward and disappeared beneath the waistband of his trousers.

Kikyo felt slightly dizzy. She shook her head slightly and blinked a few times, frowning slightly harder. '_I know this feeling. There's some kind of enchantment at work here. Is this part of the Sohma Family curse? They're all unbelievably gorgeous, but also untouchable…_'

Yuki caught sight of her frown and looked at her questioningly. "Are you alright, Honda-san?"

Kikyo shrugged uncomfortably and smiled. "I'm fine. Are those towels acceptable?"

Yuki glanced down at the towels he held in his hands. "Yes. Use these on the floor." He passed them to Kikyo then turned and grabbed another stack. "These will be for them to dry off with."

"Okay." Kikyo thrust her arms out to accept the stack of towels but Yuki waved her off.

"I'll carry them for you." He said. "Go ahead. I'll follow you." He gestured vaguely with his arms towards the open hallway.

Kikyo backed up and moved down the hall then paused to wait for Yuki to slide the closet door closed and catch up with her. Once he had she led the way back to the entry way and smiled at the soaked occupants apologetically. "Sorry that took me so long." She dropped her stack of towels and turned to Yuki to grab one of the nice ones and open it before passing it off to Momiji.

"Hi, Yuki!" Momiji chirped. "Are we in time for dinner?"

"Momiji!" Hatori said reprovingly. "That's not why we're here."

"Awwww, but I'm hungry! I want something to eat!" Momiji whined as she scrubbed the towel roughly over her hair before throwing over her shoulders like a cape and trying to make a break for the kitchen calling, "Tohru! Tohru, where are you? I want a hug!"

Kikyo blinked and suddenly Kyou was there looming over Momiji who was now squatting on the floor holding her head and wailing pitifully. "Wah! Tohru, Kyou's hitting me!"

"Shut up, you little brat!" Kyou growled. "Why are you here?" He rudely asked of Hatori.

Hatori ignored him. It was Hatsuharu who responded. "We were in the neighborhood." His voice was so mild that he sounded half asleep. Kikyo passed him a towel which he accepted with a tiny smile and a hooded look that made Kikyo blush.

"What were you doing all the way out here?" Yuki ground out. He had seen the look 'Haru passed Kikyo and it made his blood boil. His throat felt tight and he had an almost overwhelming urge to break something, probably 'Haru's face.

"That's not your concern." Hatori said. He accepted a towel from Kikyo almost negligently and draped it about his shoulders. "The weather turned bad and we decided to stop rather than pressing on. The rain isn't going to stop any time soon. Shigure shouldn't mind us spending the night."

"Of course not, Ha'ri!" Shigure called from the dining room where he'd apparently been listening in on the whole conversation. "You can stay as long as you like!"

Kikyo frowned. "Oh, I guess I should call home and ask them what to do."

"What do you mean, Honda-san?" Yuki asked. He cast concerned violet eyes down on her and she felt her blush rising again.

"Well, if the weather is so bad I don't think my father will want to come and get me. I guess I'll just have to walk to the train station." She looked out the still open door into the driving rain and felt a shiver crawl up her spine.

"Of course not!" Yuki exclaimed. "You can't go out in that! Stay here tonight."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to impose upon you when you've already been so kind." Kikyo started, but Kyou cut her off.

"Quit being stubborn, Red. Just spend the night." He almost sounded reasonable. "You can share Tohru's room. She won't mind."

"But I wanted to sleep with Tohru!" Momiji whined.

"Momiji, you know that wouldn't be appropriate." Hatori scolded.

"Yeah, keep your damn filthy hands away from Tohru, you little pervert!" Kyou yelled.

'_Pervert! She's just a little girl, what are they all going on about?_' Kikyo wondered. Aloud she said. "Then would you mind if I used your phone quickly? I should let my family know what's going on."

"Of course you may." Yuki told her. "Follow me." He led her away from the loud argument that ensued in the hallway between Momiji wanting to sleep with Tohru and Kyou spouting expletives. "I apologize for your having to listen to that garbage."

"No, that's alright." Kikyo assured him. "I guess Kyou's temper hasn't gotten any better since I knew him in Hokkaido."

"I don't know about that." Yuki told her. "He's actually a lot mellower than he used to be."

"That I can tell." Kikyo said with a laugh. "I only meant that when he really gets mad he still explodes."

"Well yes, I suppose that is true." Yuki smiled at her over his shoulder. "Here's the phone. Take as long as you need."

"Thank you." Kikyo watched as he moved down the hall to a distance from which he would not be able to hear her conversation but would still be able to answer if she had any questions. She picked up the phone and dialed home. Her mother answered.

"Moshi Moshi."

"Hi, mom." Kikyo said. She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, pinning the phone against her shoulder and getting comfortable for the long haul.

"Kikyo! Where are you? I haven't heard from you all day! Did your thing at Sohma House go well? Were you able to help that man at all? Grandpa told me all about it! Grandpa, come here! Kikyo's on the phone!"

Kikyo heard her grandfather's voice in the background. "Oh, good I wanted to ask her a question. Don't let her hang up before I talk to her, Akane!"

"Okay, Dad. Hey, Jamesu, Kikyo is on the phone. How's the weather doing?"

She heard her father respond but couldn't decipher the words.

"Oh, dear. I don't think your father will be able to come and get you, Kikyo. It's just raining too hard. Where are you? Is it raining hard there? Maybe you could get to the train."

Finally a break in the flood! "I'm with Tohru like I have been all day, Mom. I told Grandpa earlier. I ran into her at Sohma House and we spent the day together. It's raining really hard here too, so I can't walk to the train station, but that's okay. I've been invited to spend the night here."

"Oh, good! Good! That just works out wonderfully then. We should be able to pick you up in the morning. We'll have to see about the weather then so you just give us a call in the morning when you're ready to come home, okay?"

"Sure, Mom, sounds good."

"Wait, Akane, give me the phone!" Her grandpa exclaimed.

"Okay. Kikyo, your grandpa wants to talk to you. Here he is…"

"Kikyo, how did Sohma House go? Were you able to do anything for Akito-san?"

"I made a potion to ease some of his symptoms. I know it's a curse that's causing them, but I need to do more research before I'll be able to lift it, if I can at all. It's very old and gets stronger with each generation, which is odd."

"That is odd. Hmmm. Well, there's nothing to be done for it right now. You get a good night's rest and we'll see you again in the morning."

"Okay. Say good night to everyone for me."

"I will. Bai bai, Kikyo."

"Bai bai."

Kikyo hung up the phone and let out a long slow sigh. Talking to her family on the phone was always an ordeal. Everyone always seemed to have something to say and it didn't help that her mother was very long winded and liked to ask a lot of questions.

"Is everything alright?" Yuki asked. He came back down the hall and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, focusing his amazing violet eyes on her.

Kikyo felt her heart flutter. "Yes, everything's fine. I'll just give them a call in the morning and hopefully by then it will have stopped raining."

There was a break in the conversation when there was total silence. The argument in the entryway had ended and the only sound to be heard was the steady drum of rain lashing against the roof.

"I really hope I'm not being any trouble." Kikyo said. She concentrated her gaze on her hands because she thought that if she looked into Yuki's eyes any longer her blush would set her face on fire. "I appreciate being allowed to stay, though. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Any time." Yuki answered. His voice was so smooth and mellow that it sent a shiver down Kikyo's spine. He cleared his throat and stood up straight. "Well, why don't we head back into the dining room and eat dinner. I would hate for all the lovely food you and Miss Honda made to go to waste."

Kikyo nodded silently and followed him down the hall and back into the dining room.

* * *

(A/N): Please keep the reviews coming in and let me know what you think! I'm curious to see if anyone has any ideas of where I'm taking this story and if any one has any suggestions for me! Sorry about the rant at the top, but I finally got sick of having the two Kikyo's compared. I hate the undead clay bitch as much as most other Inuyasha fans, and the only thing they have in common is their name and their profession. Enough of that. Thanks for reading, everyone. I'll try to write the next chapter soon. 


	6. It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

A/N - I won't do this disclaimer anymore. Let it be known from here on out that I do not own Fruits Basket or anything you recognize from Fruits Basket. There, I've said I and I ain't sayin' it no more! Enjoy the fic!

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Chapter 6: It Was A Dark And Stormy Night….

* * *

"Is everything alright, Kikyo?" Tohru asked. She was sitting at the dining room table, getting ready to serve dinner for everyone. Three places had been added and the little table was beginning to look rather crowded.

Kikyo smiled reassuringly. "Everything's fine. Mom had to talk my ear off as usual, and Grandpa was curious about my visit with Akito-san this afternoon—"

"What were you doing with Akito?" Kyou demanded. He was leaning against the door frame leading in from the kitchen, and his hands here clenched into fists on his shirt sleeves. His expression was surprisingly dark and Kikyo found this mood of his to be rather alarming.

"I was asked to see him by my Grandpa." Kikyo told him. She moved into the dining room past Yuki who shrank back from her as though he didn't want to be touched. Kikyo glanced at him with a tiny frown of confusion and moved to the dining room table to pass bowls to Tohru to fill with the delicious smelling white miso soup. 'Why did he shrink away like that?' She wondered silently. "You know I was training to be a miko while I was in Hokkaido, right?" She glanced to Kyou to catch his nod. "Well, I am now living and working at home, home being the Hondachi Shrine. And I'm working as a miko. My Grandpa got a call for aid from Hatori-san asking that I come to see Akito-san immediately. And it's a good thing I did. He was in very poor condition."

"What was wrong?" Hatsuharu asked. He had just stepped in from the entry way, his hair still dripping and his soaked shirt clinging to his leanly sculpted chest. Kikyo had to look away or become transfixed.

Blushing she passed Tohru another bowl and said, "Well, I really shouldn't say. Confidentiality and all that…"

"You may tell them." Hatori said. He came into the room followed by Momiji who jumped across the room to sit beside Tohru.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at Hatori for a moment, as if trying to ascertain why he would allow it. Finding nothing in evidence, she nodded slightly and sat back on her heals. "There's a curse on the Sohma Family."

There was a mixture of gasps around the room and an uncomfortable silence to follow. They all knew. Kikyo could see it in their eyes, read it in their posture. What's more… it was affecting all of them in much the same way. She had known almost since she met Kyou that there was a dark curse on him, but she'd had no idea that the curse extended to the rest of his family. Looking around the room she could see it in all of them. Even Tohru…

"I was not able to lift the curse." Kikyo said after a moment, looking at each of them in turn, doing her best to smooth the hesitation and doubt from her voice. "Something this far-reaching and powerful is beyond my power to heal so easily. It will take many hours of research and a lot of trial-and-error before I can even **hope** to come near a solution. This curse has been on your family for generations and I hope… if there's anything you know, anything at all that might help me find the solution faster, please… tell me." She made sure that she looked each and every one of them in the eye, implying without words that she knew they knew and that she hoped they would approach her with their information.

As she met their eyes, each of them looked away. All of them, except Tohru who nodded earnestly. Kikyo smiled at her cousin. Tohru was the most pure-hearted, kind, loving person in the whole world; she was the kind of person who would catch a moth in the house and release it outside rather than killing it, the kind of person who put other's well-being before her own. She took the greatest pleasure in helping others find the answers to their problems, and in helping them find little lost pieces of themselves; pieces that they sometimes didn't know they had. Tohru was a nurturer. If there was anything that she could do to help, Kikyo knew that Tohru would do everything in her power to see it done.

"It is not going to be something done easily." Kikyo picked up a filled bowl and set it at its place. "But I won't give up. I can see it in all of you, this curse... I will do everything I can possibly do to see it gone. Believe in me, help me if you can, and it will happen sooner."

Kikyo looked at them all one last time, meeting Shigure's eye out of them all and finding an odd little smile in place on his lips.

"But that is enough of that." Kikyo said, smiling gently and reaching to place another bowl where it belonged. "Dinner is getting cold. Come; sit."

Silently everyone moved to occupy a seat at the table. Momiji immediately plopped herself beside Tohru and caught a handful of Tohru's shirt in her fist. Kyou sat down on Tohru's other side, at the corner between Tohru and Kikyo. To Kikyo's right Yuki moved to sit beside her, but was beaten to it by Hatsuharu. The two shared a dark look that confused Kikyo slightly, and finally Yuki sat down beside Hatori, leaving Shigure to occupy the space beside Momiji.

"So, Kikyo," Shigure said as he accepted the bowl of rice she passed him across the table. "Where will you be going to school now that you're living in the city?"

"I'm not sure, actually." Kikyo said, handing a bowl of rice to Hatori. "Up until now I've always been home schooled. Though I would like to attend public school, just for the experience, my parents are afraid that it might interfere with my duties at the Shrine." Kikyo passed another full bowl of rice to Yuki, who gave her a polite nod of thanks and a tiny smile that made her blush. "I don't agree; I think I can manage both quite nicely." She passed the last bowl of rice to Hatsuharu, whose hand brushed hers as he accepted it. He gave her a polite nod just as Yuki had, but there was something more in his colorlessly grey eyes, something that sent chills up her spine and made her blush even more. "I think it would be fun to go to High School just like every other girl my age."

"Well, it would certainly be an experience worth having." Hatori said.

"I know! You should come to Kaibara High with me and Yuki and Kyou and Tohru and 'Haru!" Momiji exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "It would be so much fun! You should come! You should come!"

"Calm down, ya little brat." Kyou grunted. He reached for the soy sauce and sat back again, drizzling it onto his rice. "It's her choice and you won't talk her into it by whining, so just quit it."

"Oh, but Momiji's right, Kikyo." Tohru said, smiling brightly. "It would be so much fun to go to school with you."

Kikyo smiled back. "I'll definitely consider it. But it's not me you have to talk into it, it's my parents."

"Well, que sera sera." Shigure said, waving his chopsticks in the air. Yuki swatted them away when they drifted too close and went on quietly eating his soup, glancing darkly at 'Haru every once in a while.

Kikyo was puzzled by Yuki's mood. He had been so nice and polite in the hall and before, while they were shopping. Something must have happened to sour his mood…

Halfway through dinner there was a flash of lightning outside that made the lights flicker, followed immediately by an explosion of thunder that shook the house to its very foundation. Despite herself, Kikyo dropped her chopsticks and clapped her hands over her ears, wincing. It was silly, really, but ever since she was a child she had been… less than fond… of thunder. She knew that it was just the superheating of the air caused by the bolt of lightning, but for some strange reason it had always frightened her.

Another flash and another dangerously close crack of thunder and Kikyo couldn't help but curl in on herself slightly, fisting her hands in her hair over her ears and shuddering time with the ear-splitting noise.

"Honda-san, what's wrong?" Yuki asked.

Kikyo opened her eyes and looked up at him, glowing with embarrassment. "I… don't like thunder…"

Tohru gasped. "That's right! I'd forgotten that." She got up and moved around the table to kneel down next to Kikyo, putting a gentle hand on her cousin's shoulder. Kikyo leaned into her embrace and closed her eyes, shuddering again in rhythm with the vibrations of thunder that sounded anew.

"This is getting intense." Shigure said. He was looking at the door as though he could see the storm through the paper. "Let's turn on the TV and see what they have to say. Momiji, would you mind?"

Momiji was the closest to the television and so she spun on her knees and clicked the power button, sitting back so that everyone could see.

The same news crew that Yuki had had on earlier was on again, reporting about the weather. "…looks like Typhoon Sareno has decided to swing north after all. Takaya-san, what are we looking at?"

"Well, Inomi-san, it looks like that is indeed the case." A pretty meteorologist was saying from in front of a green-screen. The map digitized in behind her was covered in red and yellow polygons, showing warnings and watches out for areas affected by the storm. "The worst of the winds are here in Shokugan Prefecture and it looks like they're heading northeast towards Tokyo. We're actually seeing winds up to 120 to 130 kilometers per hour which is unusually high for typhoons as you well know, Inomi-san, and they're really starting to cause some damage. There are trees going down all over the place, taking power lines and even a few houses with them. Rain again, not as big of a deal at this point. We'll probably only see about two to three centimeters in most areas. With winds this high, of course, the real danger is that they may spawn some tornadoes as well. We strongly urge anyone in the path of this storm system to move to a basement or inside room of their home, one without windows. Stay on or below the ground floor of your house, towards the inside of the structure. Make sure you have candles and matches nearby in case the power—"

"Takaya-san, I'm sorry to interrupt but there are some new warnings out for the following cities; Ise, Toba, Hamamatsu, Shizouka, Kaibara, and Ito. Ise till 8:25, Toba till 8:30, Hamamatsu till 8:45, Shizouka till 9:00, Kaibara till 9:05, Ito till 9:15. It looks like this storm is running right up the coast. If you are anywhere in the path—"

Another brilliant flash of lightning and the power went out like a snuffed candle.

"Alright, everyone head for the basement." Shigure said. "Tohru, don't worry about the food and plates, please just run to the kitchen and get us a few candles and some matches." Tohru was up and gone before he finished.

Kikyo reached a hand for Momiji, who was looking around with enormous brown eyes that were shining with the beginnings of tears. "It's okay, sweetheart. We'll be fine."

Momiji nodded, biting her quivering bottom lip, and stood with Kikyo to follow Shigure down the hall. Yuki was right in front of her and she didn't want to bump into him so she reached out a hand to rest lightly on his back. He reached back and caught her hand in a reassuring grip and Kikyo found herself blushing again. 'I don't blush this much. What is going on with me? I wonder… exactly what _is_ the Sohma curse?' Thinking about that and feeling her hand burn where Yuki was rubbing gentle, reassuring circles on the back of it with the pad of his thumb, Kikyo followed them all into the basement.

It was little more than a cellar, really, with shelves from floor to ceiling on three sides and a well stocked wine rack on the remaining wall. "Even I am not without my vices." Shigure said in response to the looks he was getting for his wine rack. "This is the best place for us to ride out the storm. I have a battery operated radio around here somewhere, as well as some flashlights. Tohru, come here with that candle."

Tohru carefully wove her way through the bodies and held out one of the candles she had found and already lit. She passed the others off to Kyou and held out the lit one for Shigure to see by.

"Let's see… hmm… ah! No, wait… um… there it is!" Blowing some dust and cobwebs off of it, he passed it to Hatsuharu and reached back in to grab a few flashlights. "Here we are." He selected one of the procured flashlights and popped it open so that it was more of a lamp and set it on the edge of the shelf. "How's the radio coming, 'Haru?"

In response Hatsuharu flipped on the power button and the radio crackled to life. He scrolled through the stations until he landed on one with news. They never heard what the news had to say though.

At that moment there was another earsplitting crack of thunder and Kikyo jumped, clamping her hands over her ears again, and lost her balance. She couldn't stop herself from falling into Yuki…

She was expecting to be caught and righted. She was therefore rightfully surprised when she felt his arms close around her and his chest against her back for a split second before there was a sound like a muffled explosion and a puff of grey smoke. Suddenly the support disappeared and she fell the rest of the way to the ground, scraping her elbow raw on the wall as she did so. 'What happened?' She asked herself silently, wincing and shifting off the box she'd crushed in her fall. "Owww… What was that? Yuki, are you okay?"

She looked around at the faces of the other people around her and saw varied levels of anxiety and horror. Getting a bad feeling she twisted slowly and looked behind her.

Sitting on a pile of clothes… the clothes Yuki had been wearing… was the cutest little grey mouse Kikyo had ever seen in her entire life. Realization dawned on her. "Yuki?"

The little mouse sighed and hung his head, then answered with Yuki's voice. "Yes, Honda-san. It's me."

Resisting the almost overwhelming urge to seize him in a death grip and rub her face on his glossy looking fur, Kikyo nodded slowly and looked at the others. "This is the curse?"

Hatori sighed before sinking down on a crate in the far corner. "It's a part of it. The most apparent part." He dropped his face into his hands and said nothing more.

"We call it the Zodiac Curse." Shigure said. "Thirteen people in the Sohma family are possessed by the vengeful spirits of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac plus the cat. Yuki's the rat, I'm the dog, Momiji's the rabbit, 'Haru's the ox, and Ha'ri is the dragon. You know the story I'm speaking of?"

Kikyo nodded silently. She looked back to Yuki in his tiny little mouse form and couldn't resist the urge any longer to at least touch him. She reached down and offered her cupped palms to him. He looked down at them and up at her again and stepped forward into her hands. Raising Yuki up to eyelevel she looked him in the eyes and said, "You're talking about the banquet held by God for all the animals. The rat tricked the cat into sleeping through the party and rode to the banquet on the back of the ox. Kyou, you're the cat, aren't you?" She asked looking at him.

He grimaced but nodded. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I've known almost since I met you that you were under a curse." She said. She shifted Yuki into one palm and moved the other to run one finger along the top of his tiny soft-furred head. She looked back up at Kyou. "I just know. It fits, somehow."

She let her eyes slide closed and concentrated. Maybe it was something to do with his altered state, maybe it was just the fact that she was holding his tiny little mouse body, but Kikyo was able to feel something more in Yuki's aura than she had before. It was something dark, sinister… evil. It lay under the surface like a monster lurking in the depths of a murky pond. It was a part of his aura without being connected to who he was as a person. Kikyo didn't know what to think. "This is helpful. In this altered form it's much easier to feel the curse. I will need to be able to delve each of you in your altered states. It will go a long way towards helping me find a solution." She opened her eyes and smiled at Yuki. "That is of course, if you wouldn't mind exposing yourself to my scrutiny."

With another puff of grey smoke and a muffled explosion she was suddenly face to face with a very naked Yuki. Her eyes went round and she went red to her hairline. Choking slightly she snapped her eyes closed and turned her face away from him. What she had seen was forever burned in her memory. 'Oh my goodness… Oh my… Oh…' Shaking, she tried to ignore the sound of him getting dressed.

"After a while we change back." Yuki said. "The time varies a bit. You can… uh, it's safe to look now."

Kikyo looked back and met his eyes. He was as red as she felt. Suddenly she laughed, and in an attempt to lighten the mood, said, "That's not what I meant when I mentioned exposing yourself to my scrutiny."

Shigure was the first to chuckle, followed by Tohru then Momiji, and Kyou, Hatsuharu, Hatori, and finally Yuki himself. Kikyo looked him in the eyes again and found gratefulness there for her lightening the mood. Glad she hadn't embarrassed him anymore than that she sat back and looked around the room again.

Considering the animal she had been told each of them changed into, she suddenly realized the reason for their odd colorings. Yuki, as the mouse, was grey-haired with violet eyes. Momiji, as the rabbit, was golden-haired with soft brown eyes. Hatsuharu, as the ox, was predominantly white-haired with black underneath and grey eyes. Kyou, as the cat, was orange-haired with scarlet eyes. And they were all unbelievably good looking. She kept coming back to that thought. Instinct was telling her that their looks were somehow connected to their curse. She wasn't sure how, or why, but she felt it.

Hatsuharu was able to turn the volume up loud enough for them all to hear the end of the news cast. "…warnings for Hamamatsu, Shizouka, Kaibara, and Ito are now expired. The storm is passing on up the coast. New warnings have been issued for Tokadai till 9:20, Nemoutsu till 9:30, and it's going to move into the south side of Tokyo Proper by 9:45."

"It looks like we're in the clear." Shigure said. "Let's all head back upstairs and inspect the damage."

Haru turned the radio off and set it back on the shelf as he stood, then moved to Kikyo and offered her a hand up off the floor where she was still sitting form her fall. Kikyo looked up at him and accepted the offered hand, pulling herself to her feet with his aid. He gave her a smile that sent chills up her spine and made her blush again. She didn't think her face would ever return to its usual color after this night. "Thanks, Hatsuharu-san."

"No need to be so formal. Please." He smiled again.

"'Haru-kun." Kikyo said, smiling shyly. "Thank you. If you'll please excuse me, I should go help Tohru clean up the rest of dinner." She slipped past him and went around the corner that led up the stairs to the main floor of the house.

* * *

Because of her hasty departure she missed the intense scene that was left in her wake. Yuki growled at 'Haru as though he had fangs to bare.

"What are you playing at?" Yuki demanded.

'Haru smiled slightly. "I don't know what you mean, Yuki." He said mildly.

"You know damn well what I mean, Cow." Yuki snarled. "Stop it."

'Haru's smile grew slightly. "What if I don't want to?"

"I'll put a stop to it myself." Yuki couldn't contain himself. He was so upset he wanted to knock 'Haru out the same way he would Kyou. Nobody but Kyou could make him this mad. Why was he so angry?

Now 'Haru was outright grinning. "Yuki, you know I could never refuse you anything. I'll back off… for now." He brushed past Yuki and moved on up the stairs. At the top he turned and looked back over his shoulder. "Let me just say this…" His voice drifted down to Yuki where he stood in the dark. "May the best man win."

Yuki stood there clenching and unclenching his fists. He didn't dare go upstairs until he had calmed down. With the mood he was suddenly in he was liable to kill someone. _'What is happening to me? I'm not like this. This is what Kyou is like, not me. Just… the way 'Haru is acting… I could cheerfully strangle him. … Kikyo… I can't stop thinking about her. Is it sorcery? No, I can't believe it of her. She's too kind to seduce me by sorcery. Who am I kidding, I barely know her! Does sorcery even exist? Ahhh!'_

Forcing himself out of his strange thoughts, Yuki went to walk up the steps. The door at the top opened just before he reached for it and Kikyo stood illuminated from behind in the light of the hall. Standing there, three steps above him, surrounded in the warm golden glow of the hall lights… Yuki swallowed past the sudden tightness in his throat. The warm knot that had existed in his stomach since he met her pulsed once, sending warmth and tingles across his skin and bringing a flush to his cheeks.

"Yuki-san, are you okay?" She asked. Her eyes were glowing an amazing, vibrant emerald color. "Why are you standing down here in the dark?"

For a moment Yuki was unable to speak. Finally he summoned the will power and said, "It was nothing, Honda-san." His voice sounded strangled even to him. He walked up the last three steps and smiled down at her. "Would you like to call your family again, and make sure they're alright?"

Kikyo's face fell a little. Her gaze dropped to her hands and she sighed. "I've already tried. Their number is disconnected."

Yuki felt sympathy swell in his chest. "Honda-san…"

Suddenly she smiled and looked up at him again. "I'm sure it's nothing. A tree probably just felt on the power lines somewhere." Her forcibly bright smile did nothing to hide the glossiness of the worried tears standing in her eyes. "I'll try again later."

Her smile, though forced and insincere, still had the power to make Yuki blush. He realized suddenly that they were standing in very close proximity, just the width of the doorway against each of their backs. He could feel her warmth on his skin and her scent, like sun drenched lavender, rose to his attention. Feeling suddenly very uncomfortable, Yuki ducked out into the hall and took a breath of unscented air.

Kikyo watched him, puzzled slightly by his actions, then sighed and stepped out of the doorway as well, swinging it closed behind them. "Is something bothering you, Yuki-san?"

Yuki swallowed and focused on the floor at his feet. Something was bothering him… Remembering Akito's words so long ago, when Yuki had asked, _'Am I strange?'_ Akito had replied, _'Of course! A boy who turns into a rat; that's very strange. You're a freak. You're all freaks!'_

"Honda-san…" Yuki said softly. "It didn't bother you at all to see me change into a rat?"

Kikyo tipped her head to the side with a little frown. "I can't say I wasn't surprised. It's not everyday you meet people who turn into animals when hugged. It's just… odd. This curse… The whole thing is odd."

"I'm sorry, Honda-san." Yuki said, suddenly angry with himself for asking.

Kikyo must have heard the anger in his voice. "I didn't mean that you're odd, Yuki!" Yuki, surprised at her lack of honorific, looked up from the floor and found her standing very close again. Her hands were clenched together at her waist and her eyes, still bright with tears of worry for her family, were wide and focused on his. The knot in his stomach pulsed again, making him want to shiver though he resisted giving in to the impulse. "There's a lot about you that's different, but different is good. Being different is what sets everyone apart and makes us unique. When I said it was odd, I only meant the curse."

Suddenly realizing that she was too close she blushed again, a delicate mauve that blossomed across the bridge of the nose and onto her cheeks. She stepped back a bit, but didn't break eye contact with him. "The curse is something separate from who you are." She explained, her voice a bit quieter, hesitant, as though she were searching for the right words to use. "It's a part of you, but not at the same time. If I were to describe your aura as a lake, the curse would be a monster living in the depths. It exists within you, within your aura, without being a part of it. When girls hug you, it brings the curse to the surface and causes the change." Her voice was getting softer and more reflective, as though she were thinking aloud to herself, and not trying to assuage his fears. Her eyes wandered from his face to the air around him as though she were looking at his aura. "It's there all the time. That's why your coloring is so strange. Grey hair and violet eyes… it's a permanent emulation of the curse. But why does it get stronger with each passing generation? Why does it affect your looks? Why do you have this curse?"

"That's something none of us knows."

Kikyo jumped at Shigure's voice. She had been so lost in what she was thinking that she didn't hear him come up.

"I'm sorry I startled you, but it's getting late." Shigure said with a smile. "Were you able to reach your family?"

Kikyo shook her head. "The number is disconnected. I'll just have to try again in the morning."

"Alright." Shigure gestured down the hall towards the stairs that led up to the second floor. "Tohru-kun is upstairs drawing a bath. You should try to get some rest."

Kikyo nodded. She glanced at Yuki once more before moving on down the hall and up the stairs.

Yuki and Shigure watched her go. "She's amazing." Yuki said in little more than a whisper.

Shigure's smile turned a little perverted. He opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly inappropriate.

"Save it, Shigure." Yuki growled before his cousin got the chance to say something that would make Yuki break the house. "I'm not in the mood."

Shigure's dopey smile grew to nearly a full-out grin. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"You'd better not have been." Yuki sighed and straightened. "I'm going to bed. Where are 'Haru, Hatori and Momiji staying?"

"They're going to stay in the living room. Tohru's already pulled out blankets and pillows for them." Shigure said as he leaned against the wall. "Are you alright?"

Yuki frowned at him. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Shigure shrugged nonchalantly. "You just seem a little on edge, that's all. I think this business with Tohru-kun's cousin has us all a little riled up. Another outsider has found out about our secret."

Yuki smiled slightly, brushing his hair back off his face. "She knew about it before she bumped into me. If she's really going to try and lift it she would have found out about it eventually."

"Still, I can't help but think it a little bit too big of a coincidence that she just happens to be related to Tohru." Shigure pushed off the wall and moved to walk past Yuki. He stopped right next to Yuki and looked down at the younger cousin. He seemed to hesitate slightly before he spoke again. "When coincidence becomes too convenient, I prefer to call it fate." He rested a hand on Yuki's shoulder for a moment. "Goodnight, Yuki."

"Goodnight." Yuki whispered. Shigure moved off down the hall and Yuki moved to the stair and up to his room. Somehow he doubted he would get any sleep this night.

* * *

(A/N) - Sorry it took me so long to update again. I just can't write unless I'm inspired to. Plus I had a lot of stuff going on with school and all that jazz, so I never know when I'll have the time to write, much less the inspiration. But, it's extra long to make up for the delay! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll udate again as soon as I can! Please leave a review!

Thanks guys!

-Rae


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